Nightingale

Seeing Lynn Redgrave last night, to me, was a moment in NYC history that I felt lucky to capture. It was a performance that I will not only remember but talk how lucky we were to see it years from now.

Nightingale is a one person play, 90 minutes long. Redgrave sits in a chair and tells us the story of her Grandmother. She slowly flips through a notebook as to keep the story going. Keep in mind she also wrote this story. She goes in and out of a few characters but the main character is her Grandmother.

It isn't so much about the tale but how Redgrave tells it. A master storyteller. Her body movement, her facial expressions, her intonations. So incredible. I found myself drifting at times because of her vivid descriptions. I started thinking about our kids when they were young and cuddly as she talked in first person as her Grandmother about her children. At one point when her Grandmother was in Switzerland I found myself recalling when I was there in college.

A remarkable performance. Watching her in such a small setting was a treat. Her age in some ways made a bigger impact on me because when someone like Redgrave, who is so skilled in her profession, makes you realize you are seeing years of performing and that experience shows us what she is really made of on the stage. Not sure they make them like her anymore.